HUMOR AND FAITH ARE REALLY COOL THINGS TO HANG ONTO AS YOU TRAVEL WINDING, AND SOMETIMES TREACHEROUS ROADS WE CALL LIFE

Life is a blast!

Fifteen years ago I just knew I’d written the next best seller, but the joke was on me. I bought all the “how to” books, read countless novels written by famous authors, did a truckload of research, and sat in front of my computer—assured that I knew everything—and wrote a book.

Well, eight manuscripts and countless rejections later, I sold my first book. Everything I did—the instructional books, research, and reading other authors, did help me on my journey, but I learned that we never know everything, especially when it comes to writing. I was shocked when I discovered I had only touched the edge of the iceberg.

For fifteen years, I’ve walked this long, long road, and I’ve learned how to handle rejection, take constructive criticism and own it (make it work for me), what publishing houses want (which is what their markets are), and patience, I’ve learned the true definition of patience.

Tip for aspiring writers: After you’ve done all of the above and written the next best seller, take that polished manuscript to a writer’s conference and pitch it to an agent or editor. That’s where I’ve had the best luck selling my books.

And always remember, no matter whether we succeed or fail, we always learn something and carry it with us to the next phase of our life.